After the Storm (by Tanja and Joey
by Tanja
Summary: Mulder and Scully get into a fight, about another


Title: After the storm (1/6) Authors: Joey and Tanja E-mail: Tanja: voet@tanja-myrna.demon.nl, Joey: Joey@Ram32.freeserve.co.uk Rating: PG. Spoilers: Mention of Holly from Pusher. Keywords: Mulder/Scully Romance Summary: An argument is like a storm, the ending has consequences you don't want to deal with. 

Disclaimer: Same old story. They do not belong to us, they are from CC, 1013 and Fox Network. But we use them for our story, puuh. 

Author's notes Tanja: Wow, this is already the second story I'm writing with Joey. Time flies when your having fun. Thanks for being my writing partner Joey, I love it! I missed e-mailing you, glad you're back from your holiday :) Thanks to everybody who has given us feedback on our first story oh and if you haven't given any feedback, it's still welcome, also for this story :) 

Author's notes: Joey: Yay! Our second story, we made it! Wow, I'm surprised Tanja put up with me! Thanks, Tanja, for writing another story with me. And everyone who has sent feedback on Through The Years, we really appreciate it. 

Dedication: This story is dedicated in the memory of Samantha. Some things are better left unexplained, because there isn't a way to explain something meaningless. Although we know she's in a better place and in no pain, she'll be missed greatly. 

After the storm (1/6) 

Scully was sitting behind her computer, it was still early in the morning, but even this early Mulder usually would be in the office already. But since a few weeks things had changed, Mulder's life had changed, usually they would start both early, working late, sometimes going out for dinner together, sometimes ordering dinner. It had become normal, something both hadn't talked about. Their work was their life, a life build by the two of them. Their own world, a world in which they worked, laughed, talked, but just as well could spend hours in silence. 

Sometimes words weren't necessary to understand each other. That way of life had been enough for both of them. That was until a few weeks ago. Something had happened, something that had changed everything. In the beginning not much had changed, but soon he had started to come in later, leaving early. No more late night dinners, no more being the last agents leaving the building. All because of one woman. 

For years Scully had been the only woman in his life, not as a lover, although they both knew there was something more between them, but as his best friend. Now she had to share his attention. And she wouldn't admit it, but she was jealous of the woman. She didn't know why. The woman had done nothing wrong, she was not even a threat for their love, it would have been worse if she had been his new girlfriend. Never had she expected to be jealous of the only thing he had always been looking for, his own sister. 

At first he hadn't been sure if it really was her, or just another one of those clones. But this time it wasn't a clone, it was the real Samantha. In the beginning Scully had understood that he wanted to make up for the lost time, but after some time it started to irritate her, when Samantha called, while they were in the middle of a case. To ask for his help with something only he could help her with of course. Or at least that was what she said. She hadn't talked to Mulder about it, had kept it to herself, but in the end such things always come out in the open and that's exactly what happened when Mulder arrived. 

Unsuspectingly he walked in, whistling cheerful he greeted her. "Morning Scully" She mumbled back, not turning away from her computer "Morning Mulder" They worked in silence for a few hours. At the end of the morning they were about to leave to go interrogate a murder suspect in their latest case, when the phone rang. Mulder quickly walked back to pick it up and from the look on his face she knew it was Samantha again. 

He talked to her for a few minutes, then hang up with the words "I'll be there as soon as I can." He turned around, with an apologetic look on his face "Scully I'm sorry, but I..." 

She didn't even let him finish his sentence. Before she could stop herself the words slipped from her mouth. Sarcastically she said "have to go save Samantha again." The moment the words left her mouth she wanted to kick herself. Damn, why did she have to say that? But it was too late. 

"What's wrong Scully?" he demanded to know. 

"Nothing" she said stubbornly, looking everywhere but at his face. 

"I want to know what's wrong" Mulder could be stubborn too, especially when somebody was lying so obviously. 

"I said nothing was wrong, everything is just fine" she repeated and started to walk to the door. 

But Mulder was quicker. He was at the door before her and stood in front of it, before she could leave. A stubborn look on his face, starting to become angry he said or maybe it was better to say yelled "that's what you always say. I'm fine Mulder. Nothing's wrong Mulder. Everything is going to be alright. Don't worry about me Mulder, I'm fine. Fine fine fine. You know what Scully? I can't hear the word fine anymore!" 

"So, why is that my problem?" she knew she was playing with fire, it would have been better to make up an excuse, but she was too angry to think rationally. They were both too angry, too hurt and disappointed in each other. And when you get angry you always say stupid things, things you regret you said later. When it's too late and when there's no way back. 

He looked at her, wondering why the hell they were having this fight. His eyes softened and he tried again "Why can't you tell me what's wrong Scully?" 

"Because there's nothing wrong" 

"So that's why we're standing here and that's why you're yelling at me?" 

"You started yelling if I remember" she knew it was childish what she was doing. 

He knew there was no use in trying to get her to see the ridiculous way they were acting. Maybe it would be better to stop this conversation right now. "Look Scully, obviously something is not okay and you do not want to tell me. Why don't we stop this conversation right now before we're going to regret what we're saying. We can talk about this later, when we've both cooled down." He stepped away from the door. 

It looked like she was going to agree, she turned away and started to walk away. At that moment everything would have been alright, if she hadn't mumbled something that wasn't meant for his ears "sure Mulder, you just go save your precious little sister again." 

But he did hear the words. "What did you say?" he demanded. 

She turned around and looked at him "I didn't say anything Mulder" 

"Yes you did." 

"No I didn't" 

"Yes you did. You said - sure Mulder, you just go save your precious little sister again -" 

Her face reddened, she had said the words. There was no use in denying that, after all he had heard them. "Mulder, I..." 

He stopped her "No Scully, I want to know something, what did Samantha ever do wrong to you?" 

"Nothing, but..." 

"So why are you talking about her like this?" 

"I'm sorry Mulder, I shouldn't have said that. I was just angry, I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry." 

"Why are you angry at me?" 

"I'm not angry at you. It's just that..." 

"That what?" 

Oh well, maybe she'd be better off telling him how she felt. Maybe he would understand. She sighed and blurted out "It's just that it seems as if you've been spending all your time with her the last few weeks. Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy for you that you found back your sister, but..." she paused for a moment, before she continued and spoke the devastating words "but there's more in this life then your sister Mulder. We have work to do, and how can we do that, when you run to her every time she calls for help." She finished and looked at him for his reaction and the moment she looked at his face, she knew she had been wrong. He didn't understand. 

His eyes shot fire, and with a voice that could have frozen fire, he asked "why are you being so selfish Scully?" 

She was taken aback by his reaction. With disbelief she said "you call me selfish?" 

"Yes, I am. I have no idea why you're acting like this, but why can't you just be happy for me and Samantha?" 

"Mulder, you don't understand, I..." he interrupted her before she could finish. "No Scully, just listen to me for one moment. I think you don't understand. I'm not the one who is being selfish here. All I'm doing is spending some time with my family, spending time with the sister I thought I had lost. Yes, I'll admit, maybe I have been out of the office a little bit more then usual. But that doesn't mean that I've lost all my attention for my work. I'm still there isn't it? We still work on cases. I didn't get any complaints from Skinner and our solving rate hasn't changed. So nobody has any problems with the whole situation, why then are you the only one who is making a problem of this?" 

He didn't see why she was making problems. Maybe he didn't want to, or maybe he was too angry at that moment to realize. All she wanted to tell him, was that she didn't mind that he was spending time with his sister, but that she missed him. She missed spending time with him, even when it had been at work. She missed his jokes and his teasing. She missed talking to him, she missed his love. It had been a weird way of loving maybe, but it had been a way to get love from him and that was why she was so scared. Scared to lose that time together, because all the time they had had was at work and that was where he didn't spend his time anymore 

She knew there was no use in trying to explain, he wouldn't understand. She just looked at him for one last moment and walked to the door. Opening it, she turned around to look at him one last time. A single tear escaping from her eyelids, trickling down her face lonely. 

And that was when he understood. Understood that he had been wrong. Realizing why she had been acting like she did. She didn't envy him his sister, she was just scared of losing him, because all his attention had been focussed on Samantha the whole time. He had to stop her, try to make her see that she was wrong. That even though Samantha was back, he hadn't forgotten about her. She was still one of the most important things in his life, his love, his Scully. He ran after her into the hall, she had almost reached the elevator. 

"Scully wait!" But realization had come too late. The damage had been done and there was no going back anymore. She didn't even turn around, just walked into the elevator and the door closed. Leaving behind a defeated Mulder. 

End of part 1 

After The Storm (2/6) 

Scully fought back tears as she stood in the elevator. Her heart told her to go back to the basement office and give Mulder another chance but her mind told her it was too late. She leaned against the back of the elevator and closed her eyes, sighing heavily. 

she told herself. 

The elevator jerked to a halt and she opened her eyes before the doors opened. It was Skinner's floor, she knew what she had to do. 

Scully made her way down the corridor, ignoring the stares and the whispers. She was used to it by now, used to being called 'Mrs. Spooky'. She wondered what the rumor mill would say when news got out that she had left the X-files - and Mulder. Taking a deep breath, Scully stepped into the outer office of Assistant Director Skinner. 

" Is the A.D in?" Scully asked Holly, the Agent who was acting as secretary whilst Skinner's proper secretary was away. 

" Yes, Dana. I'll tell him you're here," Holly smiled, having a fondness for the slightly older Agent for helping her through an event she was still embarrassed to think about. Holly pressed a button on the intercom. " Sir, Agent Scully is here to see you." 

" Send her in," came the reply. Holly nodded at Scully and Scully went into Skinner's office. 

" Take a seat," Skinner told her, not looking up from the paperwork he was reading until she had sat down. " May I ask why you wanted to see me, Agent Scully?" 

" Sir, I'm here to request a transfer back to Quantico," Scully answered, keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead and not looking directly at her superior. 

" Agent Scully? Did I just hear correctly?" Skinner sat up in his chair, studying her intently. Something was wrong, it didn't take brain surgeon to work that out. " Is there a problem I can help with?" 

" No, Sir. I just feel a reassignment to the Academy would be best for me at the present time," she fought to keep her voice calm and professional. " The reasons behind my decision are personal." 

" Is there a problem with Agent Mulder?" Skinner pressed. " You're one of the best Agents I have ever worked with, Agent Scully. And I feel that reassignment to Quantico would be a backwards step." 

" There's no problem, Sir," she sighed. " I've just been out in the field for a long time and I think it's catching up with me. I'd like to go back to teaching at Quantico, if I may, Sir." 

" I see no reason why I should deny your request for a transfer," he stifled a sigh. " Does Agent Mulder know?" 

" No, Sir," Scully resisted the urge to bite her lip. 

" Can I ask, off the record, if the problem has anything to do with Agent Mulder's sister?" Skinner asked, taking her by surprise. Her head noticeably snapped up and he met her startled gaze. " I know it must be difficult now that his quest is over." 

" Off the record, he seems to have lost interest in our work," she answered, a note of sadness tainting her words. " He's not the same partner he used to be." 

" What about your personal relationship, you're friendship?" Skinner gave her a sympathetic look and she shrugged. 

" We don't have one anymore," she replied bluntly. " May I be excused, Sir?" 

" You're dismissed, Agent Scully," Skinner nodded. " I'll do the appropriate paperwork and you can start at Quantico on Monday. And Agent Scully?" 

She stopped with her hand on the door handle. " Sir?" 

" Good luck. It's been a pleasure working with you." He didn't look at her directly, he was leaning back over the file on his desk. 

" You too, Sir," she bit her lip and left the office. Skinner watched her go, feeling the loss of a brilliant Agent and hoping her decision wasn't one she would come to regret. 

TWO DAYS LATER. 

Mulder sat alone in the basement office, still in shock from Scully's decision to leave. He was upset that she was no longer his partner, upset about their stupid argument and angry that she hadn't told him herself that she had decided to leave him, leave the X-files. 

There was a knock at the door. 

" Come in," he called out unenthusiastically. His sister, Samantha, walked in with a smile. 

" Hello, Fox," she greeted him, ignoring the sulky expression he wore. " How are you today? Have you thought anymore about what I told you?" 

" I am not going to the Academy and making a fool of myself for her," Mulder spat out angrily. " Stay out of it, Sam. It's got nothing to do with you." 

" Yes, it has. I'm the reason she left and the reason you're so miserable," Samantha rolled her eyes. " Well, actually. It's probably your own fault. You're too over-protective of me. And because of that, you basically ignored Dana. After everything she's done, too." 

" How the Hell would you know? You hardly knew her!" Mulder argued stubbornly. 

" Because you were too busy mothering me and leaving her to do all the work. I met her twice, Mulder. I know she's important to you and I know you're both hurting now because you're apart when you should be together," his sister reasoned. " And I feel guilty for it." 

" You shouldn't, it's not your fault," he answered with a defeated sigh. " She should have said goodbye or at least told me she was leaving." 

" Why? She's as stubborn as you and probably even hurting more than you are," she told him, sitting on the edge of his desk. 

" How do you work that one out?" He asked doubtfully. 

" She loves you as much as you love her otherwise she wouldn't have stayed as long as she did. And recently, you haven't been showing her that she's special to you. You've been with me when you should have been thanking her for her help. You should tell her you're sorry, that you appreciate her and you love her," Samantha shrugged. " I mean, think about it from her point of view. She's had you all to herself for so long and she's been there for you through everything and yet as soon as you find me, you ditch her." 

" She left me," Mulder protested. " It was her decision. If she regrets it, she should make the first move." 

" Fine," she sighed, exasperated. " You be stubborn but you're just hurting yourself and Dana more." 

SAME TIME. 

" Mom, the answer is no. I am not calling him," Scully responded firmly. 

" But you're both hurting and for no reason!" Her mother, Maggie Scully, exclaimed. " Dana, I know it hurts but think about it. He's been searching for his sister for years, it's understandable that he'd want to spend as much time as possible with her. And I can also understand that you're used to having him to yourself and don't want to share him. It's stupid, you love him and he loves you. You're just too stubborn to say you're sorry." 

" He should say he's sorry. He's the one that ditched me," Scully retorted. " He knows where I am. If he wants to say sorry and wants me to go back, he can easily tell me. Until then, I'm staying here." 

" Even though you're miserable," Maggie shook her head. " You're my daughter and I love you. I hate seeing you hurt like this." 

" I'll be fine, Mom," Scully forced a weak smile. " I just have to try living my life without Mulder for a while. It's not exactly healthy to be so dependant on someone, is it?" 

" No, Sweetheart, it's not," Maggie sighed and stood up to leave the apartment. " I just hope everything turns out the way you want it, the way you both want it." 

Maggie left and Scully sat in silence, wondering what Mulder was doing and whether he could forgive her for not saying goodbye. 

End of Part Two. 

After the storm (3/6) 

A FEW MONTHS LATER 

Scully heaved a sigh of relief when the last student left the study room. With a sigh she sat down behind her desk, closing her eyes. A few months had passed since she had gone back teaching at the Academy. 

The teaching was alright, the students were nice, but something was missing. She knew very well what was missing, but she still wouldn't admit it to herself. She was still as stubborn about the subject as a few months ago. When Mulder wanted to talk to her he knew where to find her, she was not going to make the first move. 

However the fact that she didn't want to make the first move, didn't make the pain less. Didn't help her to forget the painful memories of the fight they had had. Even though it was a few months later she couldn't forget. She had never thought that it would be possible to become so dependant on somebody. She had seen it happen with friends of her a few times and she knew it was devastating. That's when she had told herself, that she wouldn't let that happen to herself. 

But what are beautiful promises when you fall in love with somebody? In the beginning she hadn't even realized that she was in love with him, not until he had been missing in New Mexico. That's when she had realized, that against all her own rules and against the promise she had made to herself, she had become that dependant of somebody and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Being in love with Mulder was like a one-way road. She couldn't turn around anymore, because she couldn't, but also because she didn't want to. 

And she knew now that it had been wrong. Wrong to let it happen, wrong to fall in love with him. She had never known the meaning of the words "when one leaves you, your heart breaks", but now she knew that the saying was true. It was really possible to feel your heart break in pieces. 

Thinking she sat back in her chair, maybe it would be good to go away for a while. God knows, she could use some time off. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. That was what she was going to do. Take some time off, time to think about the mess her life had become somehow. 

A FEW WEEKS LATER 

It had taken her a couple of weeks to arrange everything, but now she finally had a few weeks off. She had no idea what she was going to do or where she was going to go, all she knew was that she had to get away from Washington. She had decided to just rent a car and drive somewhere. She would see soon enough where she would end up. 

So that was exactly what she had done that morning. Throwing her bag in her car and driven off. She had told her mother that she was going away and also that she had no idea where. Her mother had understood, she had seen her daughter struggling with the consequences of her decision to leave her partner. She had tried everything to get her to go talk to Mulder, but without result. Maybe some time away would be good for her. 

LATER IN THE AFTERNOON 

She arrived in a small town by the sea later that afternoon. Looking around she knew that she could spend a couple of days here. It didn't take her too much time to find a hotel and after checking in and bringing up her luggage, she decided to go take a walk on the beach. 

At the reception she asked how she had to go to the beach. The owner looked at her as if she had just asked a very stupid question. 

"You're not seriously thinking about going there are you?" 

"Yes I am, why not?" 

"It's much too dangerous for a woman alone" the man cried out. 

"Sir, I'm a well-trained FBI-agent. I think I'll be able to handle a walk on the beach." she said calmly. Sometimes people thought that she was just as fragile as she looked. Until they had seen her in action that was. 

The man shrugged and gave up "it's your choice lady, but don't blame me if something happens" He quickly explained her how she could get there and she left. He called after her "be careful and don't go too far, before you know it the high tide will be there" but she didn't hear him anymore. 

Ten minutes later she was at the beach. Stopping for a moment to take in the look of the sea and the sun slowly going down. She walked for a good long time, so far until she didn't see any other people anymore. She walked into a causeway. She wondered if it would be safe to go across it. For one moment she thought of what the owner of the hotel had told her, then decided that she would go across for a little while and then she would walk back to the hotel. 

She went across the causeway and walked further. She was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn't realize how late it was getting. When she finally did realize that it was time to go back it was too late. She turned around and saw that the high tide had come, much sooner then she had expected. Looking around she panicked. 

she thought sarcastically. That wouldn't help her to get back to the hotel. There was no way that she could take back the same way she had come. The beach had disappeared into the water and there was only one direction she could go, up. 

She had no idea where the road up would bring her, but it was not like she really had a choice right now. With a sigh she started to climb the long road up. Minutes, that looked like hours to her, passed slowly, while she walked. Half an hour later she still hadn't seen any sign of life and the sky above her didn't look very promising either. It started to become darker and darker every minute. She knew that there was a storm coming and she also knew that if she didn't find a place to shelter soon, she could be in trouble. Serious trouble. 

The rain started to fall slowly at first, but soon it became difficult to see anything or anybody, because of the storm. But just when she thought that this would never end, she saw a tent in the distance. Struggling against the wind and rain she walked to the tent, hesitating for one moment, thinking that it might be dangerous to go into the tent, without knowing who would be in there. But she didn't hesitate too long. The choice between the storm and the tent wasn't too difficult. 

Reaching the tent, she yelled "is anybody there?" 

For a moment nobody answered, then a man's voice answered "yes, can I help you?" The voice sounded familiar, but she had know idea where from. In the darkness a person came walking out of the tent, to see what was wrong, it was too dark to really see what the person looked like. 

She followed the man into the light of the tent and it was when he turned around, she realized why the voice had been so familiar to her. They just stood there, looking at each other in shock. 

End of part 3 

After The Storm (4/6) 

" Scully?" Mulder stared at her, unable to believe his eyes. " Dana Scully?" 

" Mulder," Scully bit her lip. " I guess I look a bit like a drowned rat at the moment, don't I?" 

" Here, get changed into this," he handed her a T-shirt. " You'll catch a cold if you stay in those clothes." 

" Thanks," Scully took the T-shirt, shaking with the cold and he turned as she changed clothes. Mulder turned round after he'd given her enough time to change. 

" So what are you doing out here?" He asked. " Sit, try and keep yourself warm." She sat down on one side of the tent and he sat down on the other, gazing at each other warily. 

" I'm staying at a hotel on mainland, to get away...from everything. I went for a walk, ended up here. When I realized how late it was, it was a little too late. The causeway was already covered by the tide," she explained. " So what are you doing here?" 

" I was trying, rather ironically, to forget about you," he rolled his eyes. " I inherited the island and hadn't been here for a while so I thought I'd come camping, try to sort myself out." 

" Sorry to invade your space," she murmured meekly, pulling her knees close to her chest. " I'll leave as soon as the storm is over and the causeway's clear. Then you can go back to forgetting about me." 

" I didn't mean it like that, Scully!" Mulder insisted, realizing his mistake - a little too late, again. " I just meant that it's a coincidence that I come here to put you behind me and then you appear. Must be fate." 

" Must be," she shrugged and lifted her head from her knees. " So, how are things? Samantha's okay?" 

" She's fine," he answered. " She's dating some guy that I can't seem to like." 

" You sound so much like my brother," Scully teased, a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips. 

" Bill Scully?" He made a face and smiled too but the moment was over far too soon. " How have you been?" 

" Fine." There was a slight pause. " I've been okay." 

" Glad to hear that." The tone he used contradicted his words. 

There was another, longer moment of silence. Mulder stared at the center of the lamp and Scully buried her head in her hands. It was awkward, it was hard, it was...stupid. 

Mulder had missed Scully so much. Seeing her again was just what he'd been dreaming of for so long, ever since she'd left him without saying goodbye all those months ago. She was still as beautiful as he remembered. Her hair was a little longer and the rain had made it curly. 

Part of him wanted to take her in his arms and say he was sorry and make her promise that she would never leave him again. The other part of him, the most controlling part, was still angry and still hurt with her decision to leave without even telling him in person. He'd missed her, he still loved her but he was angry and he was being stubborn. If Scully loved him as much as his sister told him she did, she would be the one to make the first move. After all, she had been the one to leave. 

Scully stifled a heavy sigh. He was acting so cold towards her and that made her heart ache all the more and it made her even more angry at his stubbornness. If he'd missed her at least half as much as she missed him, he'd be willing to swallow his pride and say sorry for ignoring her. She studied him in the light as a loud clap of thunder seemed to come from directly over the tent. He was gorgeous, even though there was stubble visible on his chin. It made him look more rugged which made her pulse rate.  She told herself, angry that her thoughts had taken the turn they had. 

He looked up and met her gaze for a few moments in silence. He then sighed and moved the lamp and shifted a little bit. 

" I've got a double sleeping bag, if you want to share. You might be here for a while, it'll be best if you get some sleep," he told her and he straightened out the sleeping bag. 

" Some storms have been known to last for weeks at a time although I doubt this is one of them. You won't be able to get off the island tomorrow, though. The storm will mean the causeway's going to be covered for a while." 

" That's fine, thank you." Scully was surprised when a she felt a yawn coming on. She stifled it with her hand. She was suddenly very tired, her walk and surprise meeting with Mulder catching up with her. " Do you know what time it is?" 

" About ten. You tired?" He didn't look up from straightening the sleeping bag, giving her the impression that he was a little nervous. 

" A little. I must of walked further than I thought," she responded, barely managing to suppress another yawn. " Time for bed?" 

" Yeah, I've had a long day, too." Without saying anything else, they got in the sleeping bag, turning their backs on each other as soon as they did so. Mulder reached out and turned out the lamp once they were settled. " 'Night, Scully." 

" 'Night, Mulder," Scully's voice was a cross between a sigh and a yawn. Mulder smiled to himself in the darkness, something deep down inside him telling him that they'd been brought back together for a reason and that he couldn't let her leave again. 

IN THE MORNING. 

Mulder woke and was momentarily confused until he remembered where he was. He was in the tent but he wasn't alone. He inhaled deeply and swore he felt his heart stop. Scully's perfume mingled with Scully's shampoo. He'd recognize it anywhere. He opened his eyes and found her curled up against him. Her arms were around his waist and one of his arms were around her. His other hand was in her hair, resting on the back on her neck. 

He found himself reluctant to move and only part of the reason was that he didn't want to wake her. The rest of the reason, if he was truthful, was that he liked - loved - holding her, he loved the feeling he got waking up with her in his arms and himself in hers. 

After gazing at her for a few minutes more, she began to stir. Her eyelids 

fluttered and she slowly opened them. She blinked to clear her vision and then found herself gazing at Mulder. 

" Hi," she murmured shyly. 

" Hi," he greeted her back, a sleepy but satisfied grin on his face. " Did you sleep well?" 

" Better than I have in the last few months," Scully smiled back, neither moving from their embrace. " Did you sleep well?" 

" Brilliantly, much better than I'm used to," he responded. " Sounds like the storm's still going strong." 

She listened and heard the rain and wind raging outside the tent. " Sounds like you're right." 

" Which means you'll be here for a while," Mulder could barely keep the grin off his face and out of his voice. 

" Yeah, it does," she agreed. " So what do you do when there's a storm and you're in a tent." 

" Usually, I sit and read or talk to myself," he answered. " But, since you're here, we can talk to each other." 

" Yep, we can." Mulder and Scully spent a few more minutes looking into each other's eyes before Mulder, unwillingly, left the sleeping bag. 

Neither felt angry anymore, they both were just glad they were back together again. They had calmed down during the night and the atmosphere between them wasn't so full of tension anymore, giving them both a new hope that they could sort things out. 

End of Part Four 

After the storm (5/6) 

After breakfast in silence, because both were thinking about the other, they sat back down on the sleeping bag. 

Neither of them knowing where to start, how to find the beginning in the mess they had made of their lives. They wanted to sort things out desperately, but they didn't know how. 

The will was there and so was their love, which had remained there all those months without each other, lying under the surface, under the masquerade they had put up, to hide the pain. How come they couldn't find the right words to fix everything? 

A few simple words "I'm sorry, I was wrong". Both couldn't say them, the stubbornness still there, for no reason. Then they both decided to speak at the same time. 

"Mulder" "Scully" They laughed and for one moment the tension was gone. But as soon as it had been there, it was gone again. 

"You go first" he offered. 

"I..." she paused, desperately seeking for the right words. "Mulder I ..., I don't know what happened that day, but somehow or in some way something went wrong. I..., I know you said some things you didn't mean, but..." 

He interrupted her "we both said things we didn't mean, maybe..." Now she interrupted him "Mulder I'm sorry, but I did mean what I said, you just misunderstood and..." 

He looked at her in disbelief, nothing had changed, they were starting the argument all over again. "Scully I understood exactly what you said and if you still feel that way, well maybe it's better to...." 

"To what..." the tension was rising. 

"To end this conversation. Obviously nothing has changed. This morning I thought there was a chance, I thought we had a chance. But I was wrong. This is never going to work out" He didn't mean a word of what he said, but just like all those months ago they were too angry, too hurt and too disappointed to think before talking. 

She looked at him for one moment, tears threatening to fall. Then she slowly stood up. 

"Where are you going?" 

"Back to my hotel. I don't have anything to add to this." 

"You can't go out right now, the storm..." she didn't even let him finish, just grabbed her coat and ran out of the tent. Before running out, she turned around one last time, tears in her eyes. 

To Mulder it looked like the whole situation was repeating itself. He didn't react for a few moments, in shock. Then as if he woke up he realized he had to stop her, he ran out of the tent and looked around to see which way she had gone. Then he saw her, walking, running. 

"Scully!" he yelled. Not only did he want to stop her, because he didn't want to let her go again, but also because it was too dangerous, it was still storming and raining. 

Ignoring the rain and wind he started to run, at that moment she looked around and saw him. She didn't stop, just kept on running, no idea where she was going. Mulder ran as hard as he could, but it wasn't easy to catch up with her. Just like him she was trained to run. And he would never have catched up with her, if she hadn't stumbled on something and fallen down. 

He saw her falling down, after which he doubled his speed, scared and worried. A few seconds later he reached her, she was sitting on the ground, rubbing her ankle. Still crying, out of anger and frustration. 

He kneeled down in front of her "Are you okay, what happened?" 

The stubbornness still wasn't gone. She didn't look up, just stared down at her feet "nothing happened, I'm fine" 

"You're not fine, what do you think. That I'm stupid!" he yelled, before she knew it, the next thing he did was pulling her in his embrace. She was shocked, for a moment trying to stop him, then let him hold her willingly. Sobbing against his chest. They sat there for a few minutes, clinging onto each other, afraid to let go. After a few minutes she whispered softly "Mulder?" 

He looked down on her "yes?" 

"I don't think you're stupid" 

That made him smile sadly "yes I'm. I have been stupid, because I let you go away and because I didn't even try to talk to you after that." 

"That was not your fault, I was wrong" 

"No you weren't, I made a mistake and ..." before he could say anything more she stopped him by putting her fingers on his mouth. "Let's not start a fight, about who was wrong. It has happened, let's forget about it." 

He smiled "You're right. We've wasted enough time already. Time we could have spend together. I love you Scully" 

She looked up at him, with loving eyes. After all those months they were finally able to love and let love again. To forget about the pain and anger that had made them say things they didn't mean. "I love you too Mulder" 

He leaned down and kissed her softly on her lips, then pulling her even closer, kissing her again. Enjoying the feeling of having her back, back in his arms, back in his life, where she belonged. 

A few minutes later they let go of each other. Scully looked at him with a grin "You think we can go back to the tent now?" 

"Why? You don't like it here?" he teased. "Well, as much as I love you, in case you forgot, it's still raining. I think it'll be a lot warmer in the tent" 

"You think?" 

"I promise" she grinned wickedly. Then he leaned down and picked her up. "Mulder?" 

"Yes?" 

"What are you doing?" 

"Carrying you" 

"I have legs you know" 

"I know, but you can't walk with that ankle" 

"Oh" 

20 minutes later they were back in the tent, completely soaked. And as the storm kept going on outside, inside two people were to lost in their own world to even realize. 

End of part five 

After The Storm (6/6) - Epilogue. 

A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER. 

Mulder and Scully stayed on the island until the storm passed and then they moved into her hotel room for the rest of the week. They were both reluctant to go home, back to the place their argument had originated. 

Eventually, they both realized that they had responsibilities at home that couldn't be avoided for much longer so they had to leave their safe haven and face the real world. They packed up and left, making the journey in a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts but still keeping the contact between them by holding the other's hand tightly. 

They both shared the same fears and unnerving thoughts about what going back to DC would do to their relationship now that they'd moved on. After all, they had to decide a lot of things. Was Scully going to return to The X-files and be his partner? If she was, how was that going to affect their personal relationship and would their superiors have a problem with it? 

Their fears seemed to vanish once they were back in Washington DC. Scully decided, much to Mulder's delight, that she would return to The X-files as his partner. They agreed it was the only thing to do and they both looked forward to getting back work. 

Samantha and Mrs. Scully were thrilled that they were back together - and together in the other sense of the word. Sam also managed to spend some time with Scully without Mulder and the two women quickly became good friends. 

Now they were back in their basement office, where they belonged. Mulder was sitting at his side of the desk and he was watching Scully instead of catching up on his work like he was supposed to do. Scully looked up and caught him staring, an amused smile flirting with her lips. 

" That work won't get done by itself, Mulder," she told him, looking back down at the file she was working on. 

" I have more..interesting things to do than work at this moment in time, Scully," he replied with a sly grin, nudging her foot under the desk. 

" Well if you don't get it finished before five o'clock, I'll have to leave you with the uninteresting work to do when I go home. Alone." Scully placed emphasis on the 'Alone' and Mulder feigned a heavy sigh. 

" You love being back and making me work, don't you?" He teased as he picked up the expense report he was working on. 

" Admit it, you missed me nagging you all the time, didn't you?" 

" I missed you." His voice was full of seriousness. " Nagging and all." 

" I missed you too," she smiled, looking up at him and taking his hand. " But we're both back and we both have to do some work so we can go home." 

" Work, right." He nodded, let go of her hand and started working. 

Scully sat opposite, unable to get her mind back on the report she was supposed to be doing. She gazed at him with an open affection. They were back, they were back together, where they belonged. And for the first time in quite a long while, she felt like she was well and truly home. 

She smiled to herself, remembering something her father had told her once. The one thing you can remember in the hectic world we live in is that there is always, even when it doesn't seem like it, a calm after the storm. 

End of Part Six. End of After The Storm. 


End file.
